Long Journey Into Authentic Existence: A Sartrean Existentialist Interpretation Of Henry Miller’s Tropic Novels

This study analyzes Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn from the perspective of Sartrean existentialism. Miller is a distinguished modern writer and one of American expatriates in Paris in the 1930 s. The two tropic novels were written in the form of autobiography, recalling respectively his life and writing in Paris and life in America before he left for Paris. Most studies on Miller focus on surrealism, anarchism, and descriptions of sex element. This research approaches the two tropic novels from the perspective of Sartrean Existentialism so as to reveal Henry Miller’s efforts in pursuing authentic existence and to offer a fresh and reasonable interpretation of the novels. Through a detailed analysis of Miller’s view of the absurdity of God and the world, the alienation of interpersonal relationship, and the free choice he made in his way of living and writing to pursue authentic existence, the research reaches the conclusion that though the two tropic novels were published earlier than Sartre’s major works, Henry Miller’s choices and actions actually coincides with Sartre’s ideas. This study is the first to interpret the two tropic novels from the perspective of Sartrean Existentialism.